Josephus, Judea, and Christian Origins

by Mason, Steve; Helfield, Michael W.

• ISBN13: 9780801047015
• ISBN10: 0801047013
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-11-01
• Publisher: Baker Academic

Summary

This is a collection of essays focusing on the threads in Josephus (a first century Jewish historian and apologist whose works provide valuable insight into the background of first century Judaism and early Christianity) that are of particular interest to people studying the background and development of Christianity."Some of our most basic analytical categories, such as 'religion,' 'Judaism,' and even 'gospel,' do not map onto ancient conceptions or language." This insight, gained from long study in the biblical world, governs Josephus, Judea, and Christian Origins. Steve Mason combines recently published essays with new studies to produce a coherent, sequential exploration of "methods and categories" important for the study of Roman Judea and Christian beginnings. This book takes up basic but often overlooked questions of historical method in studying first-century Judea and the origins of Christianity. Many of these questions concern the use of Josephus (the first-century Jewish historian whose work is of crucial importance for this period) for reconstructing this history. Chapters deal with Josephus' authority, his method of publication and audiences, "Judaism," Pharisees, Essenes, "gospel," and much else.

Author Biography

Steve Mason is Professor of History and Canada Research Chair in Greco-Roman Cultural Interaction at York University, Toronto; author of Flavius Josephus on the Pharisees and Josephus and the New Testament; and general editor of the twelve-volume series Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary.

Table of Contents

Permissions	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Abbreviations	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Josephus: Interpretation and History
Josephus as Authority for First-Century Judea	p. 7
Of Audience and Meaning: Reading Josephus's Judean War in the Context of a Flavian Audience	p. 45
Figured Speech and Irony in T. Flavius Josephus	p. 69
Contradiction or Counterpoint? Josephus and Historical Method	p. 103
Josephus and Judea
Jews, Judeans, Judaizing, Judaism: Problems of Categorization in Ancient History	p. 141
Pharisees in the Narratives of Josephus	p. 185
The Philosophy of Josephus's Pharisees	p. 217
The Essenes of Josephus's Judean War: From Story to History	p. 239
Christian Origins
Paul's Announcement (¿ò ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿): "Good News" and Its Detractors in Earliest Christianity	p. 283
"For I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel" (Rom 1:16): The Gospel and the First Readers of Romans	p. 303
Chief Priests, Sadducees, Pharisees, and Sanhedrin in Luke-Acts and Josephus	p. 329
Bibliography	p. 375
Index of Modern Authors	p. 409
Index of Ancient Persons and Places	p. 415
Index of Ancient Sources	p. 423
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